


crash

by bbyfruit



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: ? is that a thing, Alternate Universe, Equestrian, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Horses, M/M, fuckin uhhhh, it is now i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-14 01:23:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18042794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbyfruit/pseuds/bbyfruit
Summary: Even is the pretty-boy champion who comes to train at the barn where Isak works. Isak's just trying to win for once in his goddamn life.





	crash

**Author's Note:**

> the alternate title is "edy tries to write a sports!au but the only sport they know anything about is riding"

Isak’s ass is sore.

He’s mostly just pissed about it because it means that he’s out of shape and that he has a  _ lot  _ of work to do before show season starts in earnest if he wants to do well at all, which is just downright rude. Actually putting in effort? In  _ this  _ economy? God. No thanks.

But he drags himself out of bed anyway, rolling his shoulders back. His left one hasn’t been the same since that one fall when he was ten.

He gets dressed quickly, breeches and a random shirt that he may or may not pull off the floor. It’s fine.

“Going to the barn?” Eskild asks when he stumbles into the kitchen, his hands already reaching for the pot of coffee. 

“No, I just dress in skintight pants for fun,” Isak shoots back with all the snark he can muster this early in the morning. 

Eskild snorts out a laugh. “Sassy this morning, baby gay.”

Stuffing a piece of bread in his mouth and screwing the cap on his travel mug with one hand, Isak uses the other to jab his middle finger in the air in Eskild’s general direction. 

He hustles out the door, pulling on a coat and a hat. His boots are halfway unzipped so his knees can bend, and he gets some double takes on the bus, probably because of the riding crop sticking out of his backpack, but he’s used to it by now. 

He gets to the barn before eleven.

“You’re late, Valtersen,” Lea calls when he walks in. She’s in the indoor ring with a horse on the lunge line, working it, and the horse is sweaty and giving her attitude. Isak squints as his eyes adjust to the light and he determines that yeah, it’s Noora’s mare, Estrella.

“Estrella looks like she’s in rare form today,” he shouts back. Lea’s used to him being late. She’s known him since he was seven, basically helped raise him, introduced him to Eskild and Linn, and she’s a major part of his life. She knows him better than anyone. 

“Yeah,” Lea says, tightening the grip of her gloved hands on the lunge line as Estrella throws a mighty buck. “She’s a fucking hot-headed bitch.”

Isak leans over the railing and watches the way Lea moves her body to combat Estrella’s. Estrella’s a dark bay, her coat glistening under the sweat from the temper tantrum she’s been throwing. Noora brought her in from Spain last year, and Noora’s the only one that Estrella really trusts. Most mares are like that; they bond with one person and try to kill everyone else. When Noora and Estrella are good, they’re extremely fucking good. But it takes a lot of work to get to that point.

“What do you want me to do first?” Isak asks. 

Lea tosses back her ponytail. “New boarder coming in today. Need you to get a stall ready and a place in the tack room cleared out. He’ll be here in two hours.”

Isak straightens his back. “Where do you want the stall?”

“Next to King is good, as long as you’re okay with it. He’s calming. God, you fucking whore,” Lea says to Estrella. “Do you ever run out of energy?”

Isak stifles a laugh. Lea’s tough with her words, but she loves the horses she trains with her entire heart, and she loves the kids she teaches. “Yeah, I’m good with that.”

“Snap to it, then. Oh,  _ bitch _ .”

His back turned to the ring as he walks away, all Isak can hear is the sound of hooves thudding and Estrella snorting.

He heads down the aisle to King’s stall and immediately finds himself grinning as he sees his horse’s nose poking through the bars.

“Hey, buddy,” he says in the special voice he only reserves for King. King sniffs a bit, sticking his head out, his eyes bright behind his eyelashes. “You’re gonna have a new friend soon, huh? You okay with that?”

King’s a big gray gelding, well-versed in his job and calm, perfect for Isak, who’s been a little timid since he got that concussion a few years ago. He’s not like Eva, who’ll ride literally anything and jump with no concerns for her welfare. Lea likes to say that Eva has absolutely no self-preservation instincts. Eva likes to say that she’s fearless. Isak thinks it’s somewhere between the two.

He puts down new bedding in the stall next to King, fills the water buckets, and hangs up a fully stuffed hay bag. The stall looks damn good when he’s done, so he moves to the tack room and clears a space for the new boarder to hang his shit.

“Isak!” Lea screams as he’s finishing up.

“What?” he shouts back.

“Get the phone!”

Isak sighs. The phone’s all the way on the other side of the barn, and he can’t run while Estrella’s out cooling down, so he speed-walks to the sound of the phone ringing.

“Hi, this is Isak Valtersen. How can I help you?” he answers breathlessly when he finally reaches the office.

“Hi,” a deep voice says back. “This is Even Bech Naesheim. I’m going to be a little bit earlier than I originally anticipated. Actually, I’m pulling in now. Do you have anyone who can help unload?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right out,” he says, hanging up as he does so.

“Lea!” he yells with his head sticking out of the office door.

“What?”

“Boarder’s here!”

“Fuck!”

Isak shrugs and hurries out to the parking lot. There’s a nice-ass truck pulling in with a nice-ass trailer hooked up to it, and whoever’s driving parks right along the side of the barn. And then there’s a nice-ass pair of legs stepping down from the truck cab and a beautiful boy, tight riding pants that emphasize his figure, a t-shirt under a denim jacket and sunglasses that he pushes back into his perfect blonde hair. 

“Hi,” he says, grinning and offering his hand to Isak. “Are you the one I talked to on the phone just now?”

“Yeah,” Isak stammers. “Yeah, I’m Isak. Hi.”

“Even,” the boy says, shaking Isak’s hand with both of his own and a smile that gets wider and wider. “I’ll open the trailer. Can you get the butt bar?”

Isak nods and follows Even over to the trailer, his heart beating faster and faster as he watches the way Even’s hands grip the metal bars of the trailer, undoing all the latches with a practiced hand. 

“This is Rosaline,” he calls as he walks around to the door by his horse’s head.

Isak lays a hand on Rosaline’s hip so she knows he’s there and she sniffles a bit. Even clips the lead rope to her halter, unlatches her from the door, and says, “Good to go.”

Isak nods again, like an  _ idiot _ , because Even can’t even see him, and unlatches the bar that holds Rosaline in place in the trailer, stepping off to the side so she can back down the ramp.

He doesn’t realize how beautiful she is until he sees her in her full form. She’s tall with thin, dainty legs, a bay warmblood with a little white star on her forehead, and she ducks her head to sniff at Even’s pocket, nosing at his hip. He smiles at her.

“So where should I put her?” he asks Isak.

“Uh, she’ll go right next to my horse,” Isak says. “His name’s King. King George, actually, but I just call him King.”

He tells himself to shut up,  _ now _ , idiot, and he leads Even and Rosaline into the barn. Rosaline’s shoes click on the concrete as they walk down the aisle to her new stall. 

Isak gestures into it with his right arm, and Even lets Rosaline investigate the stall, her ears sticking up and her nostrils flaring. Eventually, she goes into the stall happily, poking her nose at King, who pokes back. They exhale into each other’s nostrils like horses do when they meet for the first time, and then Rosaline squeals, tossing her head. Even laughs.

“She does that,” he says by way of explanation.

Isak shrugs. “Makes sense. Do you want to meet Lea?”

“Yeah, of course,” Even says, latching Rosaline’s stall door. “I can get my tack out of the trailer later.”

“She’s grooming Estrella,” Isak says as they walk down to the other side of the barn. “That’s Noora’s horse.”

“Noora who trained with the Magnusson brothers?” Even asks, sounding intrigued and impressed.

Isak winces. “We don’t really talk about them. Lea’s her trainer now.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Speak of the devil,” Isak says drily, gesturing to where Lea’s stretching Estrella’s legs.

“I’d be careful what you call me,” Lea says, her eyes flashing in what Isak recognizes as mirth. “I can make you muck stalls all day if I’m so inclined.”

“Lea, Even. Even, Lea,” Isak says.

“We’ve spoken on the phone, but it’s good to finally meet you,” Even says as he shakes Lea’s hand. 

“You’re taller than I expected,” Lea says appraisingly. Isak coughs to let her know that’s not an appropriate human reaction to another human. 

Even laughs, though, and shrugs. “I told you Rosaline was 17.3,” he says. “Gotta have long legs to ride that.”

“True,” Lea nods. “You up to ride today? I’d like to get a feel for your style and skill as soon as possible if we’re going to start training for show season.”

“Of course,” Even says, smiling brightly. “I can get my tack out of the trailer now.”

“Perfect,” Lea says, patting Estrella on the neck. “And speaking of training for the shows,” she continues, turning to look at Isak pointedly, “I want you to be ready for a lesson in half an hour. Be prepared to jump without stirrups.”

Isak grimaces. “Okay,” he says because you don’t argue with Lea when it comes to training.

“Don’t be late,” she says. Isak notices Even hiding a grin.

True to form, Isak is late. Only by five minutes, though, and it’s because he had to make sure that King had his three treats before he put his bit in. Lea chews him out anyway.

“Do you take this seriously?” she says, walking beside him as he adjusts his girth.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be a good rider?”

“Yes.”

“What do you need to do to be a good rider?”

“Ride.”

“Exactly, Isak. I want you riding at least four times a week, if not five, and I want three of those to be with me so I can beat your ass. We’re going to win this year. Now, trot.”

Isak warms up and King is being kind of bitchy, not responding well to Isak’s leg or hand, tossing his head whenever Isak asks him to bend or frame up. Isak gets frustrated and has to breathe to calm himself down. It doesn’t help that Even’s coming in and out of the barn, carrying tack like it weighs nothing, cleaning his saddle in the aisle, feeding carrots to Rosaline and watching Isak ride.

Isak and King warm up over a few little jumps while Lea screams her goddamn head off. “Do  _ not _ ,” she shouts, “let him go at the base! What the fuck, Isak? You’re just throwing him away! Your horse is your fucking life. Treat him like it.”

Isak nods to let Lea know he’s listening. They try it again, and again, with stirrups and without, until Lea’s finally satisfied enough to raise the jumps and explain the course to Isak.

“Diagonal line,” she says, pointing to each jump. “Rollback to the oxer. Coop, outside line, single oxer, but take the inside turn. Don’t be a pussy. Off you go.”

Isak can’t help but notice that Even’s leaning over the rail watching, not even disguising it anymore. He takes a deep breath, squares his shoulders, and asks King for the canter. 

King picks it up easily, ducking his head a bit. He sees the first jump and speeds up, hammering his hooves on the ground, and Isak lifts his hands balance them.

“Light seat,” Lea screams. “Count, Isak.”

“Three, two, one,” Isak says, counting down the steps until they leave the ground, and they’re suspended in the air for a second before they land.

“Five strides! Count!” Lea yells.

“Four,” Isak exhales, keeping his chin up, eyes already turning so he can make the rollback, “five.”

The second jump is done and he’s turning King in the air, inside hand lifted, inside leg pressing against King’s ribs, and King’s front hooves slam into the ground as he turns.

He can barely hear Lea over the sound of his breathing mixed with King’s, but he manages to make out a shrill “Turn and burn!” from Lea’s general direction.

They hit the oxer well, King’s knees tucked, Isak’s hands forward, his leg solid in place. 

“Look for the coop,” Lea says. “You’re not looking!”

The coop is smaller than the rest of the jumps and they get a weird spot to it, chipping in so King has to twist his body in the air to clear it.

“That was not pretty,” Lea says matter-of-factly. “Keep going. Don’t lose the rhythm.”

The outside line is nothing special, not great, but not awful either.

“Do  _ not  _ forget the inside turn!” Lea screams in the middle of the line. Isak exhales through his mouth and squeezes King on, finishing strong in the way that Lea likes. King can turn on a dime, his whole body a curve, his eye still focused on the next jump, and so they clear the last oxer beautifully.

“Oh,  _ fuck _ yes!” Lea says as Isak brings King back down, circling tighter and tighter until King slows to a walk. “Ride the entire course like that last jump and you’ll be golden.”

Breathing heavily, Isak grins, nodding and patting King’s neck, scratching at his withers. 

“Two-minute break and then we’re doing it again,” Lea says.

He does the course three more times and it gets better each time. Lea lets him be done after the fourth time, and she’s grinning wide enough that he knows he’s done well. He lets King cool down for a bit, taking his feet out of the stirrups and swinging them, rolling his ankles to relax them.

Even’s tacking up Rosaline next to the ring.

“That last course was gorgeous,” he says as Isak passes him on King.

“Thanks,” Isak answers. He thinks he might be blushing.

He hops off of King and gives him a few pats before leading him out of the ring to untack and groom him, right behind when Even has Rosaline in the crossties.

“Isak  _ Valtersen _ ,” a familiar voice calls from the front of the barn, and Isak rolls his eyes.

“What?”

“Did you use my goddamn saddle pad?”

“I didn’t have a clean one!”

“So you took  _ mine _ ?”

“It’s nice!”

“Yeah, too nice for you!”

“Fuck off, Jonas,” Isak says as his best friend finally approaches him after they’ve been screaming at each other across the barn. “You know I’d do it for you.”

“Give that  _ back _ ,” Jonas hisses, snatching the saddle pad from underneath Isak’s saddle. “Motherfucker.”

“Jackass,” Isak shoots back.

“Hi,” Even says, putting on his helmet. “I’m Even.”

Jonas does a double take, running his eyes first over Even, then over Rosaline, and then turning back to Isak. “New boarder?”

Isak nods.

“Jonas,” Jonas says to Even with a tip of his chin.

“I’ve got to get on now, but I’ll catch you guys later?” Even says, cocking his head in a question. Isak nods because he doesn’t think he knows how to do anything else. Even leads Rosaline into the ring and swings his leg over her easily. The two of them are perfectly proportioned and Rosaline looks beautiful.

“Isak, Jonas,” Lea calls from the center of the ring, “I better see you two cleaning my tack. Chris is coming to do stalls and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind your help.”

“Yeah,” Isak says. “Who else is coming by today?”

“Noora and Eva are having a lesson together,” Lea answers. “And Vilde after them.”

Isak and Jonas both groan at the mention of Vilde’s name.

“Be nice, boys,” Lea sing-songs.

“We will,” Jonas mutters. 

It’s not that they hate Vilde. It’s just that she’s annoying as fuck. She likes for Isak and Jonas to help her tack up, and she just rides the lesson horses and treats them like they’re disposable, and she cries when things get too hard, or when Lea yells at her. Which is bullshit, because the more Lea yells at you, the better you are. 

They take out Lea’s saddle and boots and start cleaning, conditioning, and oiling them. Even’s warming up in the ring and Isak is struck by how beautiful his equitation is. His hands are perfect, his legs barely move, his seat is incredibly suited to Rosaline’s motion, and he just looks like a dream on top of a horse. 

Isak pretends like he’s not watching.

By the time Isak and Jonas are finishing up with Lea’s tack, Even’s jumping, and Lea keeps on raising the fences, until they’re taller than anything Isak’s ever jumped. Lea’s yelling, but not angrily, which is weird. Even and Rosaline seem to almost float over the jumps, everything in perfect form, all their turns and distances precise. Isak thinks that they’re the best pairing he’s ever seen. 

Noora, Eva, and Chris get to the barn as Even’s jumping his final course and Isak can see Eva’s jaw drop from across the ring. The three of them hustle over to where Isak and Jonas are standing.

“I want that fucking horse,” Eva whispers.

“Who  _ is  _ that?” Noora says.

“So I’ve got another stall to clean?” Chris sighs.

“Isak,” Eva says, grabbing both of his shoulders, “listen to me when I say that I want that fucking horse.”

“Shut up,” Isak says as he rolls his eyes at Eva’s antics. “You already have Ayla.”

Ayla and Eva are a match made in heaven, both red-headed and full of life. They fight constantly but love each other more than anything in the world. 

“Little bitch,” Eva says fondly. “I’ll go get her.”

Isak turns to Noora as Eva leaves, raising an eyebrow at her. “So Estrella was something else this morning.”

Noora groans. “I heard,” she says. “If she pulls any shit with me today, I’m taking away her treat privileges.”

As Noora and Eva get tacked up, Isak and Jonas help Chris muck stalls. 

“You riding today?” Isak asks Jonas.

He shrugs. “Depends on how bitchy the mares are.”

Jonas doesn’t have his own horse, but he’s a damn good horseman and he’s got a calming effect on most of the horses, the mares in particular, so Lea usually has him get on any of the horses that act up for their owners.

Isak eyes the ring, where Noora is attempting to mount Estrella, except Estrella won’t even let her get close. Instead, she’s tossing her head and dancing in place, twisting and turning away from the mounting block.

“Wait for it,” Isak mutters to Jonas.

It’s about three seconds before Lea shouts, “Jonas! Get over here!”

Jonas dutifully drops his pitchfork and heads to the ring. Isak follows, because there’s only one stall left to do and he wants to see how this plays out.

“I’ve been dealing with this horse all morning and getting nowhere,” Lea says. “Noora’s been trying to get on her for a solid ten minutes and  _ she’s  _ getting nowhere. Do your thing.”

Jonas ducks under the railing of the ring, putting his helmet on as he goes, and approaches Estrella where’s Noora’s holding her, speaking soothingly, running his hands over her body. He places one hand in the stirrup and adds weight. Estrella lets him. 

“Noora, back away a bit,” Jonas says quietly. Isak knows for a fact that Jonas thinks Noora can be too soft with Estrella, which is weird for someone who came from the Magnusson farm. But Noora treats Estrella gently, whereas Jonas prefers a firm-handed approach with her. 

Jonas grabs the mounting block in one hand, the other one gripping Estrella’s reins. Estrella flings her head into the air and skitters away from the mounting block like she’s scared of it, so Jonas keeps following her with it, until the two of them are spinning in a tight circle, Jonas chasing her with the mounting block. Isak glances over to Lea, who’s standing stoic. Even comes and stands at the railing with Isak.

“Does she usually do this?” he whispers.

“Who, Estrella? Yeah,” Isak says, voice low.

Even nods. “You think she’s scared or just pretending to be?”

“I think she’s just high-strung,” Isak answers. “Plus, she’s a mare, so, you know.”

Even huffs out a laugh and ducks his head. “Yeah, I know.”

In the ring, Jonas slows down until Estrella lets him touch her with the mounting block. 

“Do you want me to mount?” Jonas calls over to Lea, not taking his attention off of Estrella.

“Go for it,” Lea says.

Moving quickly, Jonas steps up the block, puts his foot in the stirrup, and swings his leg over in one smooth motion. Everything is fine for a second. 

And then Estrella takes off bucking. 

Jonas can ride almost anything. Isak’s seen him ride everything from ponies to draft horses, rears and bucks and bad spots, so he’s not worried as he watches Jonas wrangle Estrella, trying to keep his balance as he does so. Everyone in the ring stays deathly still. Estrella is flinging her body around and Jonas is sitting deep, rocking back in the saddle to counteract the motion of Estrella’s bucks. 

Even lets out a low whistle. “Damn,” he says. “Those are some fucking great legs.”

Isak nods. “To ride like that? You bet.”

“Plus, that horse is beautiful, even when she’s acting up,” Even adds.

“Yeah. She used to be a dressage horse, nationally ranked, but Noora stopped dressage when she came here. She’s just a hunter now,” Isak explains, still in a whisper as Jonas fights with Estrella. 

“God, I hate showing hunters,” Even says with a shake of his head.

Isak looks askance at him. “Why? Your eq is perfect for it.”

“So I’ve been told,” Even says, offering Isak a wry grin. “But I hate how subjective it is. It’s all based on how pretty the horse is, or how pretty the rider is, or what brands you wear, or how expensive your horse is. It’s bullshit. Give me a good old-fashioned jumper show, one of the ones where I can just go in and go as fast and as high as possible and come out with a ribbon.”

“You’re not wrong,” Isak says, turning back to the ring, where Jonas is circling Estrella tightly, pulling his inside rein in intervals. Estrella’s stopped bucking for now.

“What about you?” Even asks. “Hunter or jumper?”

Isak shrugs. “Both,” he says, “but I’m a jumper at heart.”

“Good. You’re good at it,” Even tells him quietly, and Isak’s chest feels suddenly hollow. 

“Thanks,” he says, mouth dry. 

The two of them lapse into silence as Jonas brings Estrella to a stop and hops off of her, handing her back over to Noora.

“You see how Jonas was the boss of her?” Lea asks Noora, pointing a finger at Estrella, who’s sweating and huffing. “You need to do that. Don’t ask her for things. Tell her. She’ll respect you more. And I know you want her to love you, but if you want to be a good rider, she has to respect you as well. Do you understand?”

Noora nods. 

“Good,” Lea says. “Get on your fucking horse.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> annnnd that's another wip for me *dab* i am a goddamn disaster 
> 
> hmu on [tumblr](https://transmikael.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [buy me a coffee!](https://ko-fi.com/edyish) uwu


End file.
